Elevating grader



J. D. BENBow ELEVATING GRADER Filed May 24. 1924 pril 13 1926.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Apri1`13 1926.

J. D. BENBOW ELEVATING GRADER Filed Ma.;r 24, 1924- 2 `Sheets-Sheet 2 .Patentes Ape 13, 1926.

UNITED lSTATES PATENT omer..

JAMES D. IBENBOW, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN WHEELED SCRAPER COMPANY, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ELEVATIING GRADER.

applicationmed may 24, 1924. serial nu.Y 715,577.

To' ail 'whom z'z mayl concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES D. BnNnow, a citizen of the' United States, and a resident of Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Elevating Graders, of which the'following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. j This invention relates to improvements in elevating grading machines andmore particularly to means for keeping the endless belt o vthe elevator in properly tightened condition. In these machines the elevator' is necessarily of quite considerable length,

andowing to the Yquantity and weight oi" material deposited upon the endless-belt member and the shocks and jars to which the machine as a whole is subjected as it is moved along over uneven surfaces it has been found quite diicult at times to maintain the belt in properly adjusted position to perform its work to the best advantage. It is the -object of my invention to provide means under control of the operator while on the machine for enabling the tension of the belt to be quickly and easily changed atany time that itmay seem desirable. This object I accomplish'by the means shown in the drawings and hereinafter described. That which I believe to be new is set forth in the claims,

In the drawings,-

Fig. 1 is a rear view of an elevating ,grademachine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 isa perspective view of the tension ladjusting means, some of the parts that are associated therewith being partly broken away; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-section taken through vthe elevator near it/s outer end.

Referring to the several iigures of the drawings,5 indicates the/main frame of a grading machine the rear axle of which machine is indicated by 6, upon the ends of which axle are mounted the rear wheels 7. Pivotally connected at its rear `end with the main frame is an elevator, the frame member of which'is indicated lgenerally by the numeral `8. elevator extends laterally `from the main frame'and is supported by a chain in any desired position, the chain being Yadapted to be wound upon or unwound from a hand-operated drum so as tothe elevator frame is jointed substantiallycentrally ot' its length, the part-s being connected together at 9 by means not of my in-' vention and which constitutes the subjectmatter of a separate application by one H. D. Hamper filed May 28, 1924, Serial No. 716.427. The endless belt member of the elevator is indicated by 10 (see Figs. 2 and 3), and it passes over a rotatable drum at one end of the elevator frame and a roller vator frame, and, as usual, the upper run or small drum at the other -endof the elcof the belt receives support at intervals l by rollers. The endless belt is driven by means of a sprocket chain 11 that passes over an inner sprocket 12- and an, outer sprocket 13, the inner sprocket being driven -by means of bevel gears 14 and 15 in the usual manner. The chain, as shown, is supported intermediately of the sprockets 12 rand 13 by suitable blocks, such as 16 and 17,

that are carried Vby a bar 18 that is secured to the` adjacent face of the elevator frame 8. 19 indicates curved arms that are secured to opposite sides of the elevator frame and have bolted to their upper ends Yplates 20 that form members for preventing the material on the belt from falling oilI at the sides of such belt. 19a indicates a plow of any desired construction located as usual opposite the lower end of the elevator, and it will be understood that the earth thrown up by this plow will be delivered into the elevator.

21 indicates a shaft upon a projecting end of which the sprocket wheel 13 is non-rotat ably secured 1n any suitable manner, and upon which shaft is also secured one of the drums around which the endless belt member 10 of theelevator passes, such drum being indicated by 22, and it is with the means for adjusting the shaft 21 and the drum thereon the present invention is particularly concerned. As best shownin Fig. 2, the shaft 21 is mounted in bearings 23 that are bolted to the upper flanges and near the outer ends of two parallel'slides 1n the form 'I ,i1-beams Each-of these I-beams, at a little 'distance' back of the -adjacent bearing 23, has itsA u per flange slidingly seated 1n a grooved gui Ae 25 (see Fig'. 3), which is rivcted against the lower face of a turned hori- `zontal portion of one of the side bar niembers. of the elevator frame 8. It .will thus ybe evident that with the I-beams free to be moved longitudinally of the elevator frame the drum 22 will be correspondingly moved and hence will affectthe tension of the belt that runs over said drum.

Turning now'to thevmeans by which the I desired sliding movement of the I-beams 24 can be elected at any time by the operator while in. position on the machine-26 indicates a 'rock-shaft extending longitudinally of the main frame 5 of the machine and I -mountedin suitable bearings on that frame.

Keyed or otherwise secured to the rock-shaft is a hand lever 27 havin 4an ordinary spring actuated dog 28"that is ormally in engagement with a segmental rack 29 and from. vwhich engagement it Acan be released by a latch lever V30 carried by the lever 27. Secured -to' the rock-shaft 26 so as tol rock therewith are two arms 3l, and pivotally connected to eachof said arms is a link 32, said links projecting laterally of the frame 5 and in the 'same general direction as the elevator frame 8; The projecting ends of these "links 32 lie at .opposite sides of said 'elevator vframe 8 and are pivoted respectively tothe Y cuter end osuch frame an I upper ends of other arms 33 that, as here shown, are keyed-to a second rock-shaft 34 that is journaled in the lower part of `the elevator Vframe, 8. Intermediate the end of- 'in the -side wallsof -the elevator frame 8 a short'distance back of the drum 22. To the lower end of each of these short levers 36 is pivotall attached the vforward end of a link 38. Tvese links 38 extend rearwardi ly alongside of the' movable I-beams 24, and

.cach link'38 ata-its rearend is pivotally conneetedv to a block 39that, inthe construction shown,'is bolted to the outer face off. the central web of the adjacent I-beam'.

From the foregoing descriptionit will be evident that the operatorwhile on the main frame of the machine, can,`by amovement of the lever 27 cause arocking of the shaft 26,

and, through the connection, therewith of the links, arms and leversdescribed, cause the desired forward or backward movement ofthel twoI-beams 24'in the guide`25, and as such I-beams have ward ends the shaft 21that carries the drum v22 the tensinof'the belt lO'that runs over to' secure by Letters Patent, is-v oints near the .mounted on their forsuch drum can be changed as desired. Furthermore, it will be evident that the ower. applied to the shaft 2l -will be exact y the same at both its ends, and that such ends will necessarily be-moved tol precisely the ,same extent, and hence,if the' links -atthe opposite sides of the elevator are of. the same length, as they should be, the shaft 21 and 'the drum carried therebyV can always be ion as described, I have formed each of the 'links at one side of the elevator in two'parts and connected such two parts together by a .turnbuckle, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2, the turnbuckle uniting the parts of one of the 'links 32 being indicated by, .40, the turn- Abuckle uniting the parts of one of .the links 35 being indicated byltl, and the turn` buckle uniting the arts of one of the links 38 being indicated hy 42. It is only necessary to have the links at one side ofthe frame. divided-and their parts adjustably connected as by turnbuckles, butv itis desirable to so form the links on at least one side for, by such construction itis evident that by means ofthe several turnbuckles an adjustment of such links can be had that will bring them to the exact length of the one-piece links on the other side, and thereby assure corresponding adjustment of both ends of the shaft 21 and its drum 22.

What I claim as my invention and desire 1. In an elevating grader, the combination with a mainI frame, and an elevator frame, of a drum mounted atthe outer end portion of the elevator frame, an endless belt traveling over saiddrum, members mounted to slide longitudinally of the elevatorframc and supporting-said drum, levers connected with., the elevator frame and with said sliding members and operable to adjust the latf ter longitudinally of the elevator frameand devices A adapted to be actuated from the main frame for operating said levers.

2. In an elevating grader, the combination with a main frame', and anv elevator frame,

' of a drum mounted at the outer end portion of the elevator Iframe, an endless belt travelma ingover said drum, members mounted to slide p longitudinally of the elevator frame and'supporting said drum, levers fulcrumed on the elevator frame, links connecting said levers with said sliding members, and means 'operable from the 'main frame and connected with said levers for actuating the same to .slide said members longitudinally of the elevator Vframe,

3. an. elevating grader-,the combina- Vtion -With a main frame and an eleva-tor A same to slide said members longitudinally of the elevator frame.

4. In an elevating grader, the combination with a main frame and an elevator` frame, of a drum mounted at the outer end portion of the elevator frame, members vmounted at opposite sides of the elevator frame to slide longitudinally thereof, and

a shaft disposed j transversely of the 'elevatoi frame and joursupporting said drum,

naled'thereon, levers carried by said shaft, links connecting said levers withsaid sliding members respectively, and means operable from the main frame for actuating said levers.

5. In an elevating grader, the combination with a main frame and an elevator frame, ofa drum mounted at the outer end portion of the elevator frame, members mounted at opposite sides of the elevator frame to slide longitudinally thereof, and supporting said drum, a shaft disposed transversely of the elevator frame and journaled thereon,

v levers carried by said shaft, links connecting said levers with said sliding members respectively, one-'of said links being longitudinaHy-v adjustable, and means operable from the mainframe for -actuating said levers. y

6. In an elevating grader, the combination with a main frame ,and an elevator frame jointed intermedateIy, whereby the outer end portion thereof may swing vertically relatively to the inner end portion thereof, of a drum mounted at the outer,.- end portionl of -the elevator frame, means slidable longitudinally of the elevator frame for supporting said drum, lever devices connected with said sliding means and with the elevator frame,and operable'to move said sliding means longitudinally, arms pivotally mounted on the elevator frame adjacent tothe joints thereof and connected with said lever devices for actuating the same, and

means operable from the main frame for actuating Said arms. l A, v

7. In an elevating grader, thejcombination with a main frame and an elevator frame jointed intermediately, Awhereby the outer endA portion thereof may swing vertically of a drinn mounted at theouter end portion of the elevator frame, means slidable longitudinally of the elevator frame for supporting said drum, lever devices connected with said sliding means and with the elevator frame, and operable to move said sliding relatively to the inner end portion thereof, Y

means longitudinally, a shaft disposed transversely of the elevator frame and mounted thereon adjacent to the joints thereof, arms carried by said shaft, means operatively connecting said arms with said lever devices, and means operable from the main frame for swlngmg said arms.

JAMES D. 'BENBOWZ 

